The U.S. Army announced on Friday that it will no longer accept transgender applicants or provide support for sex-change procedures, following a directive from Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The policy change aligns with President Donald Trump’s January 27 executive order, which reinstated a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military and prohibited the use of military resources for gender transition procedures.
In a statement posted on X, the U.S. Army declared, “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members.”
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The announcement marks a significant reversal of policies implemented under the Biden Administration, which had lifted Trump’s initial ban on transgender service members in 2021.
President Trump’s January 27 executive order, titled Ensuring Military Readiness and Unit Cohesion, reinstated the ban on transgender individuals serving in the armed forces and prohibited the military from funding or facilitating sex-change procedures. The order emphasized the importance of maintaining “military readiness” and “unit cohesion,” arguing that policies allowing transgender service members and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives undermine these objectives.
“Success in this existential mission requires a singular focus on developing the requisite warrior ethos, and the pursuit of military excellence cannot be diluted to accommodate political agendas or other ideologies harmful to unit cohesion,” the order stated.
On February 7, Secretary Hegseth issued a memo to formalize the DOD’s compliance with Trump’s executive order. In the memo, Hegseth stated that individuals with gender dysphoria “cannot meet the rigorous standards” required for effective military service. However, he emphasized that transgender service members who have already volunteered to serve “will be treated with dignity and respect.”
The memo also delegated authority to the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to provide additional guidance on implementing the policy, including how to address service members with a current or past diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
According to DOD statistics, there are currently approximately 11,500 transgender service members in the military, representing less than 1% of total force personnel. The new policy will not immediately discharge these individuals but will prohibit them from undergoing sex-change procedures or receiving related medical support through military healthcare systems.
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The Trump Administration’s move reverses policies enacted under President Joe Biden, who lifted the initial transgender military ban in 2021. During Biden’s presidency, the military saw a resurgence of LGBTQ+ and transgender initiatives, including expanded healthcare coverage for gender transition procedures and increased support for diversity and inclusion programs.
Trump’s executive order also banned all DEI initiatives in the military, aiming to promote a “meritocracy” and eliminate “race-based and sex-based discrimination.”
The order argued that DEI programs distract from the military’s core mission and harm unit cohesion.
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